UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have brought together 17 national leaders from major economies and climate-vulnerable countries to accelerate global climate ambition. The purpose was to build momentum for stronger national climate plans to be announced in 2025.

Guterres said: “As we heard today, the world is moving forward. Full-speed ahead. No group or government can stop the clean energy revolution.”

He said many leaders pledged to deliver ambitious new climate plans – National Determined Contributions (NDCs) – as soon as possible, and pointed out that China’s updated NDCs would cover all economic sectors and all greenhouse gases.

Renewable energy production was a significant topic at the meeting. Not only is the sector booming, but prices for renewables have fallen dramatically.

The Secretary-General announced a high-level UN event in September – just weeks ahead of COP30 – to assess progress on climate plans and finance.